Tag Archives: proverbs

May 7, 2018

Of Sluggards and Worms

By Anthony Baker
Old Words

As I was reading through chapter 6, the first word that jumped out at me – and in this case it could be scary – was sluggard.

Sluggard is an old word, and one not used very much any more. It can be found six times in the King James Version of Proverbs, with the same word translated as “slothful” eight more times in the same book. Amazingly, it’s also used in most other major translations. However, the NLT translates this word as “lazybones.” Yeah.

It would seem that sometimes old words are hard to replace, except when the old word is too offensive.

When I think of a sluggard, I think of a slimy, fat, slow, disgusting snail without a shell. A naked, slimy, disgusting snail. Are we to think of people that way? Well, if the slime fits…

Old Songs

Sometimes old songs contain old words that are too offensive for our modern sensibilities. One song that comes to mind is an old hymn that means a lot to me, “At the Cross.”

“At the Cross” was written by Isaac Watts (not Chris Tomlin) and published in 1709. The first verse goes like this:

Alas! and did my Savior bleed?
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Now, if you search for this old hymn in a modern hymnal what you will most likely find are the last words of this verse changed. It will read, “For sinners such as I?” Do you see the difference? Sinners sounds less offensive than “worm,” doesn’t it?

But here’s the problem: If we have to change the words of song which was written in order to display God’s love and grace in contrast to our unworthiness, all because we want to avoid offending, then maybe we need to reexamine our understanding of salvation and the grace of God. If we can’t see that the chasm between God’s holiness and our righteousness is that of a King and a worm, then maybe we think too highly of ourselves.

Old Adages

Along with the old hymns and old words, here’s an old adage that I believe fits perfectly: “If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a duck.”

Folks, if you’re fat, slimy, slow, never work, never care, never try, always complain, always blame, and sleep more than you’re awake, you’re probably not an ant (Prov. 6:6-8). Face it, you’re a sluggard.

And folks, if we find ourselves lying, lusting, hating, abusing, neglecting, idolizing, wasting, and being basically rebellious, then we’re not the Sovereign King: we’re worms.

We need to realize what we are before there can be a change.

But praise God, because of Christ, the change is possible!

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in discipline, Work

May 5, 2018

Heeding the Warning

By Caitlin Klem

7 And now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless,
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”

Proverbs 5:7-14 ESV

I look for the context when trying to understand any message better, so when I hear the warning summed up in verses 12-14 in this part of the proverbs, I look to the verses preceding it to understand why it is given.

The audience of this passage is being urged to listen to a particular bit of wisdom and not forget it: keep far away and do not come near (being unfaithful to God). I see this as a big, bold-lettered sign on the straight and narrow path saying “wrong way” or “danger, keep out”. This is a warning against things of the flesh, the ways of the world, or in other words, that which causes us to sin (to separate ourselves from God).

It can be rather easy to get caught up in our own designs, or so focused on following certain directions (like a figurative GPS) that we miss the warning right in front of us. Honoring others and putting our trust in false teachings or false teachers will lead away from the best path, no matter how good it sounds or in line with current thinking. Yet, if we adhere to the truth and “do not depart” from it, we will be able to see the unfamiliar territory and turn away.

Giving our years to the merciless, those who do not have our best interests at heart will lead to wasted time and possible destruction. For when we follow someone else’s plan, as opposed to Gods, many wrong turns and necessary U-turns will be sure to follow. Yet again, if we adhere to the truth and “do not depart” from it, we will be able to see the wrong turns ahead and continue on the straight and narrow path instead.

As much as any journey is to be enjoyed, wrong turns and wasted time can be exhausting. And when the purpose of the journey is for anyone or anything against God’s glory, it is worthless, for “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36) Instead, adhere now to God’s wisdom and see the danger in being unfaithful to Him, lest you find yourself on the path to utter ruin.

 

 

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in counsel, discipline, Paths of Life, Temptation, Warnings, Wisdom

April 29, 2018

All You Preach About Is Sex

By Anthony Baker
The Complaint

Preach long enough – like one time – and somebody will probably complain. Preach multiple sermons week after week, year after year, and you’ll become used to complaints…because you can’t please all the people all the time…but it ain’t about pleasing people, anyway.

However, several years ago a deacon came up to me with a complaint from a visitor/former member… Wait, may I digress for a moment?

I absolutely hate it when people are sent to tell me what someone else was too afraid to tell me to my face. Do you remember writing those “Do you like me” notes in elementary school? Well, a lot of adults do the same thing when they send a complaint to the pastor via a deacon or elder. Grow up, people!

Anyway, several years ago a former member who was visiting a church where I was pastor got upset and said he was not bringing his family back. Why (and I know this because the deacon told me so)? He said all I ever preached about was SEX!

He said if that was all I was going to preach about, then he could just take his family to a movie or stay at home and watch TV.

But if the truth be known (clearing my throat), this man and his family only visited the church twice in one year, and it just so happened that the sermons they heard were the only two I preached that year which specifically addressed sexual sin. One sermon, I believe, dealt with faithfulness in marriage, and the other was from a passage like Proverbs 5, one which sounded the alarm about pornography addiction in the church.

Honestly, I can’t help but wonder if “just so happened” was the correct way to put it. God gave me those sermons for a reason.

The Catastrophe

The fact of the matter is that sex sells, pure and simple. Everything from burger joints to auto manufacturers bait their products with the allure of sexual gratification. Heck, every time I drive down the main road through my town I see a regularly-updated billboard featuring nothing more than a girl’s legs in short khaki shorts – all to sell shoes.

But sex does more than sell products. When used the wrong way, it can be a nearly-irresistible tool of mass destruction. It can be used to lead men, both young and old, into a life of misery, self-destruction, and total enslavement to addiction.

Even more tragic is what the sellers of sex do with those they use to tempt their prey. Think of all the horror and abuse that permeates the sex slave industry. Is this what God designed?

Proverbs 5 is just as relevant today as it was 3,000 years ago…no matter how many times you preach it – and it’s not preached enough!

 

I would encourage you to read this week’s posts, but also take a look at the previous posts from our first trip through Proverbs 5:1-23 on Proverbial Thought.

You can find links to them listed in the tabs at the top of the page, but I will copy the links below for your convenience.

5:1-2 “Pay Attention” – Daniel Klem

5:3-5 “Deadly Lips” – Anthony Baker

5:6 “Unpredictable Women” – Anthony Baker

5:7-9 “Run Away! Run Away!” – Anthony Baker

5:10-14 “Reason for the Warning” – Daniel Klem

5:15-17 “Drink Your Own Water” – David Welford

5:18-20 “Get Drunk On Love!” – Grady Davidson

5:21-23 “Stay On the Path” – Jason Sneed

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in desire, Temptation, Warnings

April 28, 2018

Narrow minded?

By Daniel M. Klem

Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
Proverbs 4:25‭-‬27 KJV

Allow me to rephrase these three verses:

Watch where you’re going, think about the path you’re taking, and keep going without swerving!

It is interesting to consider the respect we as a world have for people who start businesses, movements, or groups or who pursue a cause despite opposition with determination, conviction, and unswerving loyalty, with boundaries and rules that protect their cause.

It is interesting in that, at least in the Western world, those same qualities are frowned upon when our society looks at Christian devotion, saying Christian’s are too “narrow minded”.

But is it bad to be narrow minded?

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Matthew 7:13‭-‬14 ESV

If we claim to follow the living the God who has redeemed His people, should we not follow what He has revealed to us in His Word? Should we not regularly watch where we are going, how we are living, and live within boundaries that would “remove … evil”?

Should we not be “narrow minded” by keeping our minds on the narrow gate, who is Jesus? (John 10)

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Paths of Life, Wisdom

April 26, 2018

Good Speech

By Daniel M. Klem

Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. –Proverbs 4:24

Do not be confused: it does say “froward” and not “forward” in this verse. Other translations say instead “deceitful” or “crooked”. Most translations still keep the word “perverse” in there somewhere.

Do not be deceived: Nor deceive. This proverb is reminding us that it is not okay to lie (the 9th Commandment, Exodus 20:16), and telling us that it is not good to “have a foul mouth” or denigrate others or … tell dirty jokes.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Ephesians 4:26; 5:4, NIV

(See also Colossians 3)

Look at the world today, especially in the United States of America. How many people are stepping down or being fired from positions of power because of comments or jokes they have made?

It is not okay to talk this way, to lie, to objectify others, to speak flippantly about matters or people, to use “bad words.”

Does this mean we can never tell jokes?  Of course not. (I would be in so much trouble if this were true!)

However, we should “Be wise in the way you act toward [others]; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,” (Colossians 4:5-6) so that we may remain “blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’” (Philippians 2:15)

As I have told many friends, especially those who work with children, it is better to be in the habit of not using certain words than to let them slip out when we least want them to.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in conversation/speech

April 21, 2018

This Is Wisdom (Use Discretion)

By Daniel M. Klem

My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
Proverbs 3:21‭-‬23

Stumbling and Falling

The late second decade of this millennium has been tumultuous. Businesses are shuttering doors every week. Politicians are stepping down in disgrace. Actors are having careers crumble over night. Even pastors and ministry leaders are losing positions and status in shame.

Movements are continuously rising to combat [real or percieved] injustices. Tensions run high between governments, businesses, institutions, the press, and societies to the point that no one is safe from saying anything without trouble brewing.

Why?

As a whole, we have not kept wisdom, and discretion has long since been discarded.

Sure, some people think they are being discreet, but without sound wisdom. Now, “Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” (Luke 12:3)

And this is what we see today.

A society that lacks wisdom and discretion – that lacks common sense but says and does whatever seems right (or right to them) – is a society of increasing chaos and depravity.

What then shall we do?

Especially as Christians, we should turn to God, live wisely, and use discretion. We do not need to voice our opinion about everything. At least not right away. A friend of mine has a 72-hour rule for major events: wait 72 hours before commenting to make sure more facts are available.

We would be wise to use a similar tactic in relationships – especially on social media!

We would be wise to do this with the news – that too often is merely sensationalism gossip, anymore.

We would be wise to set parameters for ourselves and our relationships.

Perhaps we can at least try to “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5, NIV)

This is necessarily hard, because it is hard getting over ourselves. We do not like confronting our sinful nature.

But that is wisdom.

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Relationships, Wisdom

April 19, 2018

“With ALL Thine Heart”

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 3:5 is probably the most famous verse in all of chapter three. As a matter of fact, one post this week has already addressed it. 

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

However, one part is worth another look, if for no other reason than to remind us once again of something we should already know. 

“All” means all.  

How often do we say we trust God, but then fall back on our own knowledge, experience, and conscience when His leading seems to conflict with our understanding? We read His commands, sense the Spirit’s leading, but then doubt Him. 

There are parts of our hearts that don’t want to yield. They will fight, kick, and scream in order to have their way. The Lord will ask us to do something, only to have a part of us reply, “But my heart disagrees.”

Verse 6 tells us that when we let the Lord have control, He will “direct” our paths. That means He will make the paths of life straight, passable, smoother, and more direct. In other words, it may be the “straight and narrow,” but it will get you where you need to go without the damage to your suspension a rutted, pothole-filled highway may bring. Yet, how often we say, “My heart is telling me to go another way,” only to find ourselves beaten, scarred, busted, and way off track by the time we reach our destination. 

Point: Your heart is like an outdated GPS that will leave with flat tires, busted shocks, and more than a few stains on the upholstery. Why not give your heart to Jesus and let Him take the wheel? 

After all, He’s already been smoothing out the road. 

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in advice, Paths of Life

April 18, 2018

“My son…”

By Anthony Baker
“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments…” – Proverbs 3:1

In order to fully appreciate the first two words of Proverbs 3:1, you need to either be a loving parent or the child of one. I don’t know how else to put it.

But if you are not a parent, or if you have never experienced the love of a caring father, let me see if I can explain the emotion I sense in these opening two words.

I hear begging. I hear pleading. I hear crying.

I can feel the tenseness in the temples. I can feel the tightness in the chest. I can feel the weight on the shoulders that push one down to the floor.

I can feel the pressure put on knees as prayer is being offered up. I can feel the grip on the pen as it’s squeezed mid-sentence, the fingertips turning white as one searches for the right word to pen next.

“My son…” It’s an address used 27 times in Proverbs; three times in this very chapter. They are the words of a parent who has been down the road of life, found the potholes, suffered the pain, and longs for nothing less than his children to avoid unnecessary suffering.

Can you put yourself in that position? Imagine knowing the worst that life has to offer: all of the people out there who want nothing more than to destroy your kids, the most precious people in your life, those gifts from God…and you’ve now got one shot to give them the best advice you know.

“My son!” “My daughter!” Do you have children? Do you ever wish you could know just for once that they were really, truly listening to what you are saying? You pray that they will enjoy long life and peace (v. 2), but the odds are they will forget what you tell them, so you say “tie this around your neck” (v. 3).

And yet, we have the Word of God…

…a letter from our Father…

How often we must break His heart!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Instruction, Love, Parenting

April 5, 2018

Getting Past Fake News

By Daniel M. Klem

“How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?”  ̶̶  Proverbs 1:22

It is because of verses like Proverbs 1:22 that some have questioned my publishing name: a simple man of God. In truth, this title simply means cutting through the fluff to keep the truth of God clutter free in life and teaching.

That hits at a major problem in the world today. Many people keep things simplified without due diligence.

The result of this is what is now colloquially called “fake news.” But it is not a problem on one side of any debate. “Fake news” can be found practically everywhere: politics, business, and religion – even within churches.

Why is this?

Because people like having their voices heard, getting their 15 minutes of fame. They like being able to call others out for their faults, and being the first to do it.

Unfortunately, this often comes at the expense of the full truth. In the name of expediency and “justice”, people will – willingly and unwillingly – scorn knowledge and people on the wings of rumors and half-truths. Then others want to help by spreading this propaganda and “news” without reading (or often caring about) the details.

This results in misinformation, mistrust, forced apologies, and broken relationships. This results in further division and “they said” and “at least we’re not like them.”

A Major Result – Fake Faith

And what does this lead to?

This same attitude of simple expediency affects our understanding of the Bible and God.

Fake faith sneaks in. We all “know” what we believe, because we have seen the memes and Facebook posts of credible people. We have read the popular books and watched the latest faith-based films.

Now, we believe in the god created by society instead of as revealed in the Bible, and we believe things that feel good and “feel right” instead of what is right and good.

Now we have people who believe they are Christians because of A, B, and C, who can not give “a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15), other than to say “Because it has worked for me.” And it is okay to believe there are other ways to eternal life, if it even exists.

If Jesus truly is “the way, the truth, and the life” and “no one comes to the Father except” by Him (John 14:6), then the worst fake news out there is spread by christians who are not sure what they believe, but “know it is true.”

Therefore, we must pray for God’s truth to be revealed in and through us. Instead, may we “have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths” (1 Timothy 4:7), and read God’s Word for ourselves and with sound doctrine and with others of faith that we “may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in gossip, Knowledge, Truth

April 3, 2018

You Don’t Want God Laughing At You

By Anthony Baker

“I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh” – Proverbs 1:26

This morning I was reading through chapter one and got all the way to verse 26. I may go back and look at some other verses later, but this one really stood out to me today.

Can you imagine God laughing at somebody in trouble? Actually, I can imagine someone saying, “That’s not a very Christian thing to do!”  (FYI, that’s a typical “gotcha” zinger atheists – both real and pretend –  love to throw at believers)

But what we see in this verse is exactly that – God laughs at people in trouble.

However, it’s not just any people; it’s those who follow after other gods when He doesn’t seem to meet their needs. Consider what God told the children of Isreal in Gilead:

Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. – Judges 10:14

While the above passage doesn’t mention God laughing, it does show Him essentially saying, “Hey, I told you so! Now, go on with your bad self and see if your little “g’s” are all you thought they were.”

But the Lord does laugh at those who want to “break the bands” of objective truth and live their own lives without Him…

“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision (mock, deride, ridicule).” – Psalm 2:4

It’s worth thinking about. God wouldn’t offer a way of deliverance if He didn’t love and care for us. But when we brush off his help like dandruff off our shoulder (I’m bald, so I don’t have that problem), don’t you think it breaks His heart?

That’s why, I believe, you see so many people crying out to God for deliverance, yet get no response. What’s it gonna take to convince us those other gods are the real failures? How many more times will I hear someone say, “I don’t believe in God anymore…I prayed to Him when I really needed Him, but nothing happened”?

I just shake my head.

That’s what God does: He shakes his head, put’s his hand on his forehead, and says, ‘Oh Myself.'”

Yeah, I know, it’s not funny. But sometimes you’ve just got to laugh at the insanity of it all.

God does.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in sin, Warnings